Red Velvet's M/V Plot explained: The Lady of Shalott

[Wonder.]

I studied the poem 'Lady Shalott' in school and I could totally see all the references in Red Velvet's music video...

 

 

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The poem (scroll down if you dont wanna read):

 

On either side the river lie

Long fields of barley and of rye,

That clothe the wold and meet the sky;

And thro' the field the road runs by

       To many-tower'd Camelot;

The yellow-leaved waterlily

The green-sheathed daffodilly

Tremble in the water chilly

       Round about Shalott.

Willows whiten, aspens shiver.

The sunbeam showers break and quiver

In the stream that runneth ever

By the island in the river

       Flowing down to Camelot.

Four gray walls, and four gray towers

Overlook a space of flowers,

And the silent isle imbowers

       The Lady of Shalott.

Underneath the bearded barley,

The reaper, reaping late and early,

Hears her ever chanting cheerly,

Like an angel, singing clearly,

       O'er the stream of Camelot.

Piling the sheaves in furrows airy,

Beneath the moon, the reaper weary

Listening whispers, ' 'Tis the fairy,

       Lady of Shalott.'

The little isle is all inrail'd

With a rose-fence, and overtrail'd

With roses: by the marge unhail'd

The shallop flitteth silken sail'd,

       Skimming down to Camelot.

A pearl garland winds her head:

She leaneth on a velvet bed,

Full royally apparelled,

       The Lady of Shalott.

Part II

No time hath she to sport and play:

A charmed web she weaves alway.

A curse is on her, if she stay

Her weaving, either night or day,

       To look down to Camelot.

She knows not what the curse may be;

Therefore she weaveth steadily,

Therefore no other care hath she,

       The Lady of Shalott.

She lives with little joy or fear.

Over the water, running near,

The sheepbell tinkles in her ear.

Before her hangs a mirror clear

       Reflecting tower'd Camelot.

And as the mazy web she whirls,

She sees the surly village churls,

And the red cloaks of market girls

 Pass onward from Shalott.

Sometimes a troop of damsels glad,

An abbot on an ambling pad,

Sometimes a curly shepherd lad,

Or long-hair'd page in crimson clad,

       Goes by to tower'd Camelot:

And sometimes thro' the mirror blue

The knights come riding two and two:

She hath no loyal knight and true,

       The Lady of Shalott.

But in her web she still delights

To weave the mirror's magic sights,

For often thro' the silent nights

A funeral, with plumes and lights

       And music, came from Camelot:

Or when the moon was overhead

Came two young lovers lately wed;

'I am half sick of shadows,' said

       The Lady of Shalott.

Part III

A bow-shot from her bower-eaves,

He rode between the barley-sheaves,

The sun came dazzling thro' the leaves,

And flam'd upon the brazen greaves

       Of bold Sir Lancelot.

A red-cross knight for ever kneel'd

To a lady in his shield,

That sparkled on the yellow field,

       Beside remote Shalott.

The gemmy bridle glitter'd free,

Like to some branch of stars we see

Hung in the golden Galaxy.

The bridle bells rang merrily

       As he rode down from Camelot:

And from his blazon'd baldric slung

A mighty silver bugle hung,

And as he rode his armour rung,

       Beside remote Shalott.

All in the blue unclouded weather

Thick-jewell'd shone the saddle-leather,

The helmet and the helmet-feather

Burn'd like one burning flame together,

       As he rode down from Camelot.

As often thro' the purple night,

Below the starry clusters bright,

Some bearded meteor, trailing light,

       Moves over green Shalott.

His broad clear brow in sunlight glow'd;

On burnish'd hooves his war-horse trode;

From underneath his helmet flow'd

His coal-black curls as on he rode,

       As he rode down from Camelot.

From the bank and from the river

He flash'd into the crystal mirror,

'Tirra lirra, tirra lirra:'

       Sang Sir Lancelot.

She left the web, she left the loom

She made three paces thro' the room

She saw the water-flower bloom,

She saw the helmet and the plume,

       She look'd down to Camelot.

Out flew the web and floated wide;

The mirror crack'd from side to side;

'The curse is come upon me,' cried

       The Lady of Shalott.

Part IV

In the stormy east-wind straining,

The pale yellow woods were waning,

The broad stream in his banks complaining,

Heavily the low sky raining

       Over tower'd Camelot;

Outside the isle a shallow boat

Beneath a willow lay afloat,

Below the carven stern she wrote,

       The Lady of Shalott.

A cloudwhite crown of pearl she dight,

All raimented in snowy white

That loosely flew (her zone in sight

Clasp'd with one blinding diamond bright)

       Her wide eyes fix'd on Camelot,

Though the squally east-wind keenly

Blew, with folded arms serenely

By the water stood the queenly

       Lady of Shalott.

With a steady stony glance—

Like some bold seer in a trance,

Beholding all his own mischance,

Mute, with a glassy countenance—

       She look'd down to Camelot.

It was the closing of the day:

She loos'd the chain, and down she lay;

The broad stream bore her far away,

       The Lady of Shalott.

As when to sailors while they roam,

By creeks and outfalls far from home,

Rising and dropping with the foam,

From dying swans wild warblings come,

       Blown shoreward; so to Camelot

Still as the boathead wound along

The willowy hills and fields among,

They heard her chanting her deathsong,

       The Lady of Shalott.

A longdrawn carol, mournful, holy,

She chanted loudly, chanted lowly,

Till her eyes were darken'd wholly,

And her smooth face sharpen'd slowly,

       Turn'd to tower'd Camelot:

For ere she reach'd upon the tide

The first house by the water-side,

Singing in her song she died,

       The Lady of Shalott.

Under tower and balcony,

By garden wall and gallery,

A pale, pale corpse she floated by,

Deadcold, between the houses high,

       Dead into tower'd Camelot.

Knight and burgher, lord and dame,

To the planked wharfage came:

Below the stern they read her name,

       The Lady of Shalott.

They cross'd themselves, their stars they blest,

Knight, minstrel, abbot, squire, and guest.

There lay a parchment on her breast,

That puzzled more than all the rest,

       The wellfed wits at Camelot.

'The web was woven curiously,

The charm is broken utterly,

Draw near and fear not,—this is I,

       The Lady of Shalott.'

 

 

Basically there was a woman back in Middle Ages England who was cursed to stay in her tower all her life and all she could do was weave and she isnt supposed to look out the window but she had a 'magic' mirror which reflected the outside world, so from the mirror she saw what was happening outside without looking outside

 

Also, if she broke the curse, which she did because she wanted to meet a knight 'Sir Lancelot'- she would die

 

So the stanzas I bolded are the references I saw

 

Four gray walls, and four gray towers

Wendy and Seulgi surrounded by grey walls

 

 

She leaneth on a velvet bed,

they're Red Velvet lol and this the 'Velvet' side of them

 

Before her hangs a mirror clear

       Reflecting tower'd Camelot.

Irene with a mirror, reference to the mirror that reflects the outside 

 

and when she leaves the tower, she breaks the curse so the mirror breaks as well (they show this scene after Seulgi leaves the room) and you can see the window that she isnt supposed to look out of as well

 

That sparkled on the yellow field,

       Beside remote Shalott.

Yeri is in a (yellow) field, which is behind the door just like the yellow field below the tower, where Lady Shalott can see the knights w/e

 

 

She made three paces thro' the room

You can see Seulgi pacing around in front of a door, looking like she's thinking about something so SM is probably trying to show Lady Shalott thinking about what would happen if she leaves the tower (because she wants to meet the knight(because he was reflected on her mirror and she fell in love) )

Knight is described here:

 

His broad clear brow in sunlight glow'd;

On burnish'd hooves his war-horse trode;

From underneath his helmet flow'd

His coal-black curls as on he rode,

       As he rode down from Camelot.

From the bank and from the river

He flash'd into the crystal mirror,

'Tirra lirra, tirra lirra:'

       Sang Sir Lancelot.

 

 

Hung in the golden Galaxy.

RV's galaxy scene

 

She left the web, she left the loom

Seulgi leaving the room (Lady Shalott's tower) into the yellow field that Yeri is in ( The yellow field below the tower)

 

Outside the isle a shallow boat

---------

For ere she reach'd upon the tide

The first house by the water-side,

Singing in her song she died,

       The Lady of Shalott.

Yeri in the boat (Lady Shalott used a boat to travel to the knight)

 

Yeri drowning in the boat (there's water inside) like Lady Shalott drowned/died in the boat because she broke the curse

 

So that was my analogy on RV's music video.. I really enjoyed it a lot 

 

Your thoughts?

 

 

 

 

[pretty_angel92]

it's great, except that this isn't Joy, it's Wendy. lol

 

[Fruit]

 

it's great, except that this isn't Joy, it's Wendy. lol

 

 

 

 

But it's Yeri...

[Wonder.]

 

it's great, except that this isn't Joy, it's Wendy. lol

 

 

oops sorry, #flopstan

[JSJ89]

omg this is gold

[ジェシカ]

Wow, that's amazing tbh~ Your analyzing skills are on point 

[pretty_angel92]

But it's Yeri...

really? lol but her hair is red

[sillysone]

Wow, great job on noticing this!

[breadstal2]

 How can people analyse that like that?! Good job and I find this really awesome tbh

[Fruit]

really? lol but her hair is red

 

Those are the pink ends..

[Loketâ™”]

you my friend deserve an award,im too dumb for this shit

[CookieMxnster]

That's beautiful and amazing how you found it out, thanks! ;; 

[pretty_angel92]

Those are the pink ends..

ah shit, i think i need glasses

[vanilla bean]

 

it's great, except that this isn't Joy, it's Wendy. lol

 

 

 

I'm pretty sure this is Yeri.

[lovingu2]

omg i llove it even more now. wow.

thank u so much for taking your time to explain it!!! i really wnated to know the meaning. i love it so much.

and yeri's scenes made me depressed for some reason and then i come here and read that this is where she(lady of shalott) dies by drowning.  wow. amazing mv.

[mendoan]

 

wow

sing for you also from poem too

the astronouts and whale(?)

[MILJYU]

loves it

[belleyeah]

Love the galaxy scene, this MV is seriously so beautiful.

 

And I wonder if this scenes means something in special

[mendoan]

this is the summary of that story

 

http://shmoop.com/lady-of-shalott/summary.html

 

"...From the road you can see an island in the middle of the river called the Island of Shalott. On that island there is a little castle, which is the home of the mysterious Lady of Shalott....."

 

it makes sense theres a scene when seulgi is alone and he is the place surrounded by water

 

 

".... , the Lady is so completely captivated that she breaks the rule and looks out her window on the real world. When she does this and catches a glimpse of Lancelot and Camelot, the magic mirror cracks, and she knows she's in trouble...."

this is so irene esp the last part of the mv

 

"...the Lady finds a boat by the side of the river and writes her name on it. After looking at Camelot for a while she lies down in the boat and lets it slip downstream. She drifts down the river, singing her final song, and dies before she gets to Camelot..."

 

yeri

[S Q U I S H Y]

 They said it's a reference to a folklore tale called "The Weaver girl and the cowherd boy." It's originally a Chinese folktale. There's also a derivation in Japan and Korea called the Tanabata and Chilseok

 

"According to the well-known story, the heavenly king had a daughter called Jiknyeo (Hangul: ì§ë…€, Hanja: 織女), who was very good at weaving beautiful clothes. One day, when she looked out of the window while weaving, she saw a handsome boy, a herder called Gyeonwu (Hangul: 견우, Hanja: 牽牛), just across the Milky Way. She fell in love with him. Finally the heavenly father allowed the two to get married. Afterward, Jiknyeo did not want to weave clothes, and Gyeonwu did not take good care of the cows and sheep. The heavenly king grew angry, and ordered the couple to live apart from each other, allowing them to meet only once a year. On the seventh day of the seventh month of each year, they were excited to meet each other, but they could not cross the Milky Way. However, crows and magpies worked together to form a bridge across the Milky Way for the couple. After a while, their sadness returned because they were forced to wait another year before meeting again. It is said that crows and magpies have no feathers on their heads because of the couple stepping on their heads. If it rains on that night, it is said to be the couple's tears." 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chilseok

 

In the Japanese version, it said that if it rains, the couple cannot meet because the crows and magpies cannot come out and form a bridge for the couple to meet. In the vid, it was raining. That's why Seulgi walk back into the room, I think.

[Wonder.]

Love the galaxy scene, this MV is seriously so beautiful.

 

And I wonder if this scenes means something in special

its more like an adaptation i guess? lady shalott couldnt look out the window but sm decided that seulgi can/should/will lol

[mendoan]

Love the galaxy scene, this MV is seriously so beautiful.

 

And I wonder if this scenes means something in special

maybe this?

 

part 1 :field by a river. There's a road running through the field that apparently leads to Camelot, the legendary castle of King Arthur. From the road you can see an island in the middle of the river called the Island of Shalott. On that island there is a little castle, which is the home of the mysterious Lady of Shalott. People pass by the island all the time, on boats and barges and on foot, but they never see the Lady. Occasionally, people working in the fields around the island will hear her singing an eerie song.

[Wonder.]

 They said it's a reference to a folklore tale called "The Weaver girl and the cowherd boy." It's originally a Chinese folktale. There's also a derivation in Japan and Korea called the Tanabata and Chilseok

 

"According to the well-known story, the heavenly king had a daughter called Jiknyeo (Hangul: ì§ë…€, Hanja: 織女), who was very good at weaving beautiful clothes. One day, when she looked out of the window while weaving, she saw a handsome boy, a herder called Gyeonwu (Hangul: 견우, Hanja: 牽牛), just across the Milky Way. She fell in love with him. Finally the heavenly father allowed the two to get married. Afterward, Jiknyeo did not want to weave clothes, and Gyeonwu did not take good care of the cows and sheep. The heavenly king grew angry, and ordered the couple to live apart from each other, allowing them to meet only once a year. On the seventh day of the seventh month of each year, they were excited to meet each other, but they could not cross the Milky Way. However, crows and magpies worked together to form a bridge across the Milky Way for the couple. After a while, their sadness returned because they were forced to wait another year before meeting again. It is said that crows and magpies have no feathers on their heads because of the couple stepping on their heads. If it rains on that night, it is said to be the couple's tears." 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chilseok

 

In the Japanese version, it said that if it rains, the couple cannot meet because the crows and magpies cannot come out and form a bridge for the couple to meet. In the vid, it was raining. That's why Seulgi walk back into the room, I think.

that makes sense too but the lady shalott feel is damn strong... so i guess sm mixed and matched the two stories to make one beautiful rv mv 

[yeokdae]

wow. respect.

[mendoan]

that makes sense too but the lady shalott feel is damn strong... so i guess sm mixed and matched the two stories to make one beautiful rv mv

sm said its about jiknyeo gyeonwoo(?) thts why the title is 7th July but i think its from lady shaloot too. thank you for this thread op